


Explain It To Me One More Time

by divenire



Series: Prompt Project [16]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek and the Sheriff bond, M/M, You can decide what happened to Stiles, vague fic is vague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-11
Packaged: 2017-11-16 02:38:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divenire/pseuds/divenire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sterek’sbeta on ffn gave me this prompt: “a sheriff stilinski and Derek bonding fic.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Explain It To Me One More Time

**Author's Note:**

> [Sterek’sbeta ](http://www.fanfiction.net/u/4274756/Stereks-beta) on ffn gave me this prompt: “a sheriff stilinski and Derek bonding fic.”
> 
> And... I don’t know... this is what happened.

“So,” the Sheriff says with this long, drawn look on his face. “Explain to me one more time what you were doing with my son in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night.”

Derek tries very hard to not let any expressions cross his face or let anything sarcastic slip out of his mouth. Because how is he supposed to explain this? How is he supposed to explain that he, a grown man was in the woods with a teenage boy because he’s a werewolf and they were being chased by a pack of alpha werewolves intent on doing everything possible to kill him and everyone he associates with?

And how does he explain why he associates with a bunch of teenagers in the first place? Why is that a thing to begin with?

Why is this his life? What exactly happened to make it so that this is his life?

He knows that if he thinks about it he can probably piece it together, it’s probably pretty obvious, really, but he doesn’t want to actually stop and think about it because it’s undoubtedly going to be extraordinarily depressing.

“Don’t give yourself an aneurism kid, it’s a simple question,” says the Sheriff and Derek groans internally because apparently, he wasn’t doing an even partly acceptable facsimile of not expressing any emotion. 

“Uh... I...” Derek says, or rather attempts to say because well, he has to say something. 

“Anytime now,” says the Sheriff and Derek can’t help but notice that while Stiles speaks excessively and quickly and the Sheriff speaks in a very slow, measured sort of way, they both have similar personalities. They both push at other people until they get the response they want. 

“I...” Derek shakes his head. “I’m sorry.” It’s the only thing he can come up with. It’s not an explanation and it’s definitely not worth anything but it’s all he’s got. 

The Sheriff sighs and it’s this world weary, heavy kind of sound. The only thing he says is “Why?” 

And Derek doesn’t know what to say to that. He doesn’t know how to explain that he’s sorry he ever came back to town, he’s sorry that he couldn’t just take his own advice and stay away from all distractions, he’s sorry that he got Stiles involved in all this. He’s sorry that because of him, Stiles got hurt. He’s sorry something bad happened because of him. Bad things are always happening because of him. 

But he doesn’t know how to explain any of that, even if he could explain about werewolves, he wouldn’t know how to explain it, so instead he just shrugs. 

“You’re going to have to give me something to work with here,” says the Sheriff and this time there’s a slightly softer edge to his voice. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Derek says. He shrugs again and as much as he doesn’t want to,  
he turns around and starts to leave. 

The Sheriff puts a hand on his shoulder and Derek stops. “Well I wasn’t saying you had to leave if you don’t or can’t tell me,” says the Sheriff. 

“Really?” he says and he kind of can’t help but hate himself for how desperate he sounds. 

“No, I said it to mess with you.” The sheriff takes his hand off of Derek’s shoulder and walks over to the cheap, plastic chairs in the corner and sinks down into one. He puts his head into his hands and closes his eyes.

Derek stands there for about half a minute before he sits down next to the Sheriff. He doesn’t say anything, clearly he’s failed in that department, but he can at very least, sit there and offer some semblance of support that way.


End file.
